Which to use
“keene” is an adjective and “keeps” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,472
- “keene” frequency rank
- #2,161
- “keeps” frequency rank
- 32633
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | keene | keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Obsolete form of keen. | plural of keep |
Letter map: keene vs keeps
Shared letters muted; letters that set keene and keeps apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Grammar separator: keene vs keeps
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: keene is anadjective and keepsanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32633, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
keene is recorded at frequency rank #30,472, classified as anadj. keeps is at rank #2,161, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kiːps/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 32633, this pair ranks #336,192 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of keene vs keeps
Shared letters: ek. Private to "keene": n. Private to "keeps": ps.
"keene" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "keeps" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "keene" and "keeps" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "keene" or "keeps"?
After this comparison
You've compared "keene" and "keeps". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "keene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "keeps" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #336,192 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "keene" and "keeps" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Keeley vs keene". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #336,192 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.